IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK
By The Saracens
October 5 2025
It’s good to be back. Back at the StoneX, back to the Original Club of North London (what is all that about?). Back home. Storm Amy is still blowing the cobwebs away. The new female announcer is dreadful: too shouty and she needs to learn how to pronounce at least the names of the home team! Please bring back Simon. It’s good to see Owen and Max back where they belong too. “Return of the King” they billed it as (Kings?). It’s good to see some youngsters on the team sheet: Jack Bracken given his chance on the wing, Olamide Sodeke, Cam Hutchinson, Charlie West, Charlie Bracken and of course Noah Caluori on the bench.
Bristol kick off mostly with the wind (which was supposed to be a westerly but seems to be blowing straight down the pitch). Within 2 minutes Theo Dan touches down in the corner after a lovely 1-2 at the lineout with Carre arriving from the back. Faz lands a superb conversion. 4 minutes later Sarries have their second with some lovely attacking play started by Segun and involving pretty much the whole team before Isiekwe goes over giving Faz a much easier conversion. 14-0 and some people not even got to their seats yet! Willis is hauled off for an HIA which gives us a delightful Sodeke cameo who looks rock solid during a lone Bristol attack as Sarries look as solid in defence as they were in attack. Theo Dan picks up what looks like a back injury and departs after 12 minutes (it should be noted he had nailed both lineouts up to that point) to be replaced by James Hadfield
Good work from Segun and Jack Bracken almost see a third for Malins but his footballing skills aren’t quite good enough. Faz puts up an almighty spiralling bomb then sensibly lands a penalty from in front to make it 17-0. Willis returns having passed his HIA and Tompkins (who has bulked up, added a rather dubious tache and seems to have re-found his love for the game) wins Sarries a second penalty. Sarries 3rd try arrives after 20 minutes: a classic. Bristol are going backwards so chip over the Sarries defence. Faz finds Malins who breaks, dummies, offloads to Van Zyl with a delightful flick behind his back then Van Zyl gives Max the ball back for a lovely try and an even better “splash” under the posts and another easy kick for Faz.
All hell breaks loose in the next Sarries attack as the front row try and mimic the backs but the pass goes forward. Referee Christophe Ridley swallow-dives over Tom Willis’s head and lands awkwardly. He gets up rather gingerly but is clearly struggling and he too has to depart with his assistant Dan Jones taking over. This coincides with a better period for Bristol forcing some excellent defensive work from Harry Wilson (after Segun concedes a Briz line-out on the 5m line when his “great” clearance kick proves not so great because the ball was touched) and then Onyeama-Christie. JB forces a knock-on from Briz on the try line. Try as they might, Briz are attacking the Sarries try-line but the black-and red wall remains unbreached. Max is the next man to undergo an HIA which sees Noah Caluori take the field to great applause (especially from a well-oiled stag party featuring Robin Hood, a Viking, a Strawberry, Batman and a lot of lycra who then produce a whole catalogue of Noah Caluori songs).
As we approach half time, Sarries are battering the Bristol line again. The TMO calls Mr Jones attention to a dodgy tackle on Noah and Mata gets a yellow. From the resulting penalty Sarries set up a maul and Tompkins scores the bonus point try on his back. Of course Faz converts.
A most enjoyable half. Sarries are looking like the Sarries of old: hardly any kicking (thanks Storm Amy); lots of nice passing, Faz and Burke working well together and making it hard for Briz to read the play; at least 2 men making every tackle. And perhaps most important, everyone looking happy and playing for each other. The old Sarries mantra is back.
Max also passes his HIA so Noah’s little cameo is over as we restart. Briz are fastest out of the traps and Louis Rees-Zammit sets up a try from his own 22 for Marmion. The attempted conversion into the wind doesn’t reach the posts! . Worryingly for Briz, Tom Jordan departs holding his ribs. Sarries soon get up and running. After a good carry by Hadfield, Isiekwe tips on to Faz who puts JB in for a lovely score in the corner: and converts it. 38-5. Mata returns from the bin but Sarries are attacking again. JB picks up a loose ball and scores his 2nd on the other wing! Faz makes his only mistake when he takes too long with the conversion and is ruled out of time. He is a bit miffed that he didn’t get a 10 second warning from the stand-in ref. Still 43-5 with half an hour to go is pretty comfortable.
Sarries start to ring the changes with Mawi and Cleary replacing Carre and Riccioni. Briz’s restart doesn’t make 10m (into the weakening breeze). Charlie Bracken replaces Van Zyl (who looks more like the player of a couple of seasons ago Segun and Max look to be up for another score but there was a knock on so the whistle blows. Segun departs and our “merry men” below greet the return of Noah with much joy. Briz score again with Rees-Zammit once more the instigator for Marmion to touch down. Sadly the Welsh wizard limps off shortly afterwards. Sodeke replaces Isiekwe.
Everyone wants Noah to score another super-try: Max and Faz both chip balls ahead for him but it doesn't happen this time. The immense Willis is replaced by Charlie West. Perhaps not surprisingly Sarries have lost their shape with all these changes and Marmion gets a 3rd try: 43-17. As we approach full time, Sarries are back in the Briz 22 after a superb penalty kick from Faz which lands on the 5m line. Tizard scores and Faz adds the extras for a nice half century. Briz think they’ve got a bonus point try at the end but the replay shows Thacker knocks on so it finishes 50-17.
Willis was man of the match but they were all heroes out there and it could have gone to Tompkins, Faz, Max, Isiekwe, Hadfield (who did a great job for Dan) or maybe an adjudicator with a bit more insight would have gone for young Jack Bracken (a very impressive Premiership debut both in attack & defence from the 19 year old). A word on Faz: he appears to be a changed man as if the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. Relaxed, happy about his work and back to his very best, the King is back on his throne and loving it. He doesn’t need to play for England (and all the angst that brings) he’s back home where he belongs.
SARACENS:
Malins, J Bracken, Tompkins, Farrell, Segun (Caluori), Burke (Hutchinson), Van Zyl (C Bracken); Carre (Mawi), Dan (Hadfield), Riccioni (Cleary), Wilson, Tizard, Isiekwe (Sodeke), Onyeama-Christie, Willis (West)
BRISTOL BEARS
Carrington, Rees-Zammit (Pepper), Jenkins (Boshoff), Van Rensburg, Ravouvou, Jordan (Worsley) Marmion; Woolmore (Grahamslaw), Oghre (Thacker), Chawatama (Kloska), Dun (Luatua), Batley, Owen, Ivanishvili (Grondona), Mata
SCORES:
Saracens (50): Tries (7) – Dan, Isiekwe, Malins, Tompkins, J Bracken, Tizard. Conv: Farrell (6), Pen: Farrell
Bristol Bears (17): Tries (3) Marmion; Conv: Worsley
Referee: Christophe Ridley/Dan Jones
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:10:13:20:05:31 by Darraghgirl.
Just to add to your detail of Malins try after the Farrell pass Malins passes to Willis who takes contact committing two Bears forwards at the line and offloads back to Malins who then works the try with Van-Zyl. It was brilliant seeing Willis offload out of the tackle and showed both how devastating that can be and the value of using runners off him.
I'd definitely have Van-Zyl right near the top of alternative MotM's along with Hadfield but Willis was incredible.
Great tempo all game, great passing and his support running was very smart from Van-Zyl.
He could have picked up a try after Carre's break and lovely hands from several Saracens but Tizard failed to get the ball away in what was otherwise another very solid performance.
I thought Hadfield would have been a good shout too.
Not sure if it's just the microphones picking more up but Isiekwe has been really audible in the past couple of games. Great in hyping the players up and encouraging them and Farrell is back in that role too of course.
I'm really impressed by the work in attack and the coaching there and also how well and quickly the players have picked it up.
Final word for our defence which is back to being very aggressive.
It will get more significant challenges than the past two games but even so it has looked very impressive.
I'd say two of the trys we conceded against Bears were player failure in not trusting the defender next to them rather than system ones and that should be remedied by more time together.
Quins up next.
Commiserations to Bris, nothing really clicked for them on Saturday and they had a lot of unlucky moments.
Thank you for the report DG
I thought they all had good games, Wilson in particular and seeing him on TV actually next to both I get why he locks down rather than is on the flank.